The Ovington Oracle. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Oh come all ye villagers, joyful and triumphant...

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1 The Ovington Oracle December, 2012 The winter solstice occurs at 11:12am on 21st December. This marks the day with least day light hours, but on the upside days will then start to lengthen. The dull weather and dark nights do make it really difficult to see pedestrians on the road so please 'be seen and be safe'. With only 4 weeks until Christmas we hope your preparations are well on the way if not don't forget to visit the Bazaar to pick up last minute gifts. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year Linda & Tim (Editors) Christmas Bazaar Oh come all ye villagers, joyful and triumphant... Join the festive fun, gifts and games, soup and buns in the village hall Saturday 12:00 noon until 3:00pm More at:

2 Diary Dates All at Village Hall unless otherwise indicated 10:30am Coffee morning, until 11:30am 6:00pm Junior Choir 1st 12:00 Christmas Bazaar 3rd 1:45pm Bowls 5th 11:00am Crafters session, drop in till 4:00 5th 7:45pm Gardening Club 9th 9:30am Holy Communion (Church) 17th 1:45pm Bowls 18th 7:00pm Ladies Christmas supper 23rd 5:00pm Candlelit Carol Service (Church) To book the village hall contact Christine Hardy Contents Diary Dates...2 Ladies Group...3 Congratulations...3 Parish Council...4 Poppy Appeal...5 Lottery...6 Thanks...6 Ovington Fuel Trust...7 Nearby events...8 Gardening Club...9 Videos...9 Village Hall...10 Church...11 Children's Corner:...12 Page: 2

3 Ladies Group Maureen Simmons At the November meeting we all enjoyed a lovely evening of story-telling by Mr Richard Watts, who entertained us with stories from his family history dating back to the early 1900s a lovely gentleman who warmed our hearts on a cold, wet evening. The Christmas Social is on Tuesday, 18th December, at 7:00pm. As mentioned last month, a light meal will be provided with wine and mince pies. Moving on to the new year at our meeting on January 15th we will hear about the work of the East Anglian Air Ambulance. The competition for the evening is something beginning with the letter K. If you haven t been to Ladies Group before, why not give it a try in 2013? You can just turn up on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:45pm in the village hall, or contact a committee member who would be happy to bring you along. Names and numbers of committee members will be put in the January Oracle. Finally, on behalf of the committee, I would like to wish all Ladies Group members a very happy Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year. Congratulations Congratulations Jemma Smith in your new career as a care assistant in the East of England Ambulance Service. We all hope in time you fulfil your childhood dream of becoming a fully qualified paramedic. Well done very proud of you, Love Nan and all the family Page: 3

4 Parish Council Timothy Birt As usual the Chairman kept us all in order and on target although we were disappointed there were no members of the public in attendance. This report is based on the unconfirmed minutes. Key matters arising from previous meeting Our request for a footpath along the A1075 to Watton has been rejected by Highways because pedestrians would have to step into the road at the bridge across Watton Brook. We will investigate the possibility of having a small pedestrian footbridge installed to see if Highways would then support our application. There have been concerns raised about visibility at the Church Road / The Street junction. The reported increase in traffic through the village is aggravating these concerns. Councillors will investigate options for another traffic/speed survey to enhance our portfolio of evidence before making further representation to the County Council. Precept for 2013/14 An unintended consequence of the new 'declarable interest' rules meant that all Councillors have a pecuniary interest in setting our budget and therefore must leave the room! <Sighs and rolling of eyes all round> There was a way round this and the Clerk formally gave us dispensation to make the decision after filling out official forms. Breckland Council have decided they will no longer fund parish elections so we are left with a 3.8% increase in the parish precept contribution to cover this cost. It was noted that tax payers would be unlikely to see an equivalent reduction in the Breckland component of their bill. Concerns were also Page: 4

5 expressed that this is a disincentive for democracy as it would be much cheaper to avoid an election altogether. Councillors examined in detail our commitments and liabilities and managed to find some modest savings. This, coupled with an increase in the number of people paying council tax in the village enabled us to set a budget in which the Ovington contribution will only differ by pennies from last year. Other matters Planning application 3PL/2012/0820/CH Otterwood Kennels, Watton Road has been withdrawn. While there are no known ash trees on Parish Council land we need to check and record the status of our trees. The clerk will enquire about arboricultural services at Breckland Council. Grants The Parish Council can make small grants to groups and organisations which make a difference to our community. We made contributions to Wayland Partnership, Wayland First Response, Citizens Advice Bureau and EACH. There is some money left for this financial year and requests for help are welcome, these will be considered based on the number and amount of benefit provided to parishioners. Next meeting 24 January 2013, at 7.30pm, Ovington Village Hall Poppy Appeal Sheila and Peter Johnson We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year's Poppy Appeal collection. the total sum raised was Thank you Page: 5

6 Lottery Alan Powell First Prize ( 10) Helen Thomas Second Prize ( 5) Laura Sproston The December draw will be made at the Bazaar on 1st December when there will be numerous (and bigger!) prizes. There will be the opportunity to join the lottery for 2013 and have the chance to win a prize each month while supporting your village hall. Membership is only 12 for the year and has never increased since the 100 Club was initiated many moons ago. The more members there are, the greater the prizes. Why not buy your loved ones membership as a stocking filler for Christmas? Forms will be available at the Bazaar or use the centre pull-out of this issue and return it to: Alan at Oak Farm, Marie-Ana at Church Farm, Christine at Waverley Cottage, Saham Rd - or to the Committee at any Monday coffee morning - by Monday 31st December. Only paid-up members on 1st January will be eligible for the January draw so join now before the bit of paper goes missing over Christmas! Thank-you Grace Rumsby Our thanks to Sheila, Christine, Don and Rod for delivering the Oracle and the Wayland news each month. Also to the various groups for their information and reports on village activities. Special thanks to Linda and Tim for collating and printing the Ovington Oracle. Page: 6

7 Ovington Fuel Trust Rod Rumsby During a recent Parish Council meeting discussions concerning the Ovington Fuel Trust raised the question, Who are they? and What do they do? The Trust is a Registered Charity set up many years ago to support those in the village in need and in its early days to provide fuel for the elderly residents. The trustees have a duty to distribute the income of the charity, derived from rental of properties and land, to relieve either generally or individually persons in Ovington who are suffering hardship and who are not in receipt of benefit from other sources. In recent years grants have been given mainly to elderly people to help with extra costs of Christmas and/or heating costs. The trustees are always willing to receive applications for aid from other members of Ovington's community who have a genuine need of financial assistance, this includes institutions and organisations serving this community who are in need of support. Financing educational projects is an important issue for many young students and the Trust is willing to help in practical ways to support the purchase of books, school uniforms, equipment for outdoor pursuits etc. as long as the applicants are able to demonstrate conditions of need or hardship. Applications for assistance should be made in confidence to the Clerk of the Charity: Mr Rod Rumsby, 31 The Street. Ovington. Norfolk. IP25 6RT Tel Page: 7

8 Nearby events The Wayland Partnership are offering FREE Maths & English courses at Wayland House, High St, Watton. You can gain a qualification by attending two classes per week over an eleven week course. The course starts in January 2013 exact dates to be confirmed. Maths will be on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30am 12:00 and English on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:00 3:00pm. To book call: Laura on , laura.white@norfolk.gov.uk or Adult Education skillsforlifeadmin@norfolk.gov.uk Adult Education may be able to fund your childcare. -o-o-o- New volunteers needed to help us help the Wayland community. If you have some spare time and would like to help, meet new people and learn new skills, please contact Iain on (iain@wayland.org.uk) WEA present 'Some remarkable local women' Learn about seven remarkable Norfolk women who lived from the medieval period to the early 20th century. The contrasting lives and achievements of Julian of Norwich and Margaret Paston. The work of the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and author Amelia Opie. Sociologist and author Harriet Martineau. "Black Beauty" author Anna Sewell and Edith Cavell who was executed by the Germans during the First World War. This is a new WEA course 10 weeks for 1½ hours on Tuesdays starting on 15th January 2013 at 2:00pm at the St John s Ambulance Hall, Saham Road, Watton IP25 6AE. Contact Peter Chappell on for details. Page: 8

9 The Dragonfly Gallery proudly present... Christmas Art Exhibition with a seasonal theme Saturday 1st December Saturday 15th December Dragonfly Gallery, Wayland House, High St, Watton. 18 artists, mediums to include: acrylic, mixed media, silk, pastel, watercolour, oil, textile, jewellery and collage Please join us for a trip around the Christmas Cornucopia. Gardening Club Ed Reilly The November meeting was given by Mrs A Bridge on the subject of 'Colour, Chaos and Curry'. This was a very interesting travelogue of a visit to India and Sri Lanka which showed the differences in attitude to road safety, hygiene, animal welfare and many other issues. This talk was totally different to normal and was very well received by members. The December meeting is the Annual General Meeting and will be held at 7:45pm on Wednesday 5th December in the village hall. There is an informal meeting following the AGM and the programme for 2013 will be available as well as refreshments provided by the committee and friends Videos Grace Rumsby Are you still able to play video tapes in your home? I have several children's Walt Disney videos which I would like to 50p each. The money would then go to a charity. 31 The Street, Tel: Page: 9

10 Village Hall Christine Reilly Annual Bazaar Preparations are reaching fever pitch for the annual Bazaar on Saturday 1st December. The hall will open at 12 noon, revealing a festive array of gifts and food, together with fun and games for everyone. The craft stall will be overflowing with decorations and presents. Lunch will be available: filled rolls, home-made soups, sausage rolls, etc. and afternoon tea with lots of cake and probably the odd mince pie. The Christmas Card competition (see below), for the under 16s, will be judged at 2:00pm and the raffle will be drawn after 2:30pm before the Bazaar closes at 3pm. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help - your support is much appreciated. We are setting out the tables on Friday from 2pm and stalls can be set up and decorated from 9am on the day itself. Do come along and join in with what is a major event in the village, supporting the Church and the Village Hall. Design a Christmas card and win a prize! There will be a prize for the best Christmas card(s) designed by children under 16. Please bring your card (no bigger than A5), with your name, age and address written on the reverse, to the Bazaar by 2:00pm when the judging will take place. We look forward to a colourful display of your artistic skills. Craft Sessions The next craft session at the village hall will be on Wednesday 5th December from 11:00am. Last month, we were concentrating on festive items for the Bazaar but there is still plenty of time to make decorations for the home or even the odd present. You are welcome to bring whatever type of craft takes your fancy and share your expertise or ideas with everyone. It costs only 2 per session (to cover heating and unlimited coffee/tea + biscuits) and you can come along whenever you like between 11:00am and 4:00pm. Page: 10

11 These sessions will continue on the first Wednesday of the month in the New Year and we look forward to welcoming new crafters. Coffee Mornings These will run throughout December, every Monday morning between 10:30 and 11:30am everyone welcome! Church Ann Johnson We will be cleaning the church at 2:00pm on Monday 3rd December but there won t be any cleaning in January. On Sunday, 9th December we will be having our monthly Holy Communion service at 09:30. Due to the fact that we are all busy the last weekend before Christmas, it has been suggested that we decorate the church for Christmas on Saturday, 15th December or during that week. Please come and help to make the church look beautiful for Christmas. Do come and join us for our Traditional Candlelit Carol Service on Sunday, 23rd December at 5:00pm. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served after the service. We look forward to seeing you there. This will be our only service over the Christmas period. God s Blessings to you all over the Christmas Period and for the New Year and a big thank you to all who have helped in any way in 2012 with the upkeep of the church and churchyard. Page: 11

12 Children's Corner Christmas jokes by Emily (age:12) Q: What a child s favourite king? A: stocking Q: What do you get if you cross a vampire and Jack Frost? A: Frost-bite Q: What is the best Christmas present in the world? A: broken drum, you just can't beat it! Q: Why does Santa have 3 gardens? A: So he can hoe-hoe-hoe Q: How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza? A: deep-pan, crisp and even Deadline for next issue: 21st December Edit and Production: Linda and Tim Birt (889208) Stone House Farm, The Street Proof reader: Christine Reilly (885848) Please send contributions to either above or oracle@ovington-village.org.uk Printed with an Ecosys printer. Page: A large 12 print version is downloadable from the village web-site.